The 20 countries that will play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, organized by MLB, announced their rosters on Thursday.
Venezuela, one of the favorites to lift the trophy after the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Japan, will take a star-studded roster to the event, as they try to win their first title.
ROSTER DEL @teambeisbolve PARA EL CLÁSICO MUNDIAL
Estamos muy orgullosos de anunciar nuestro roster para el @wbcbaseball
Estamos listos con el mejor equipo para defender nuestros colores en el Clásico Mundial y lograr ser campeones del mundo. #LaQueNosVuelveLocos pic.twitter.com/e3CYISRUYv
— Team Beisbol Venezuela (@TeamBeisbolVe) February 10, 2023
Omar Lopez will be the manager and Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera will be the captain and designated hitter.
The roster is somewhat unbalanced because the quality of the position players is much greater than that of the pitching staff.
That doesn’t mean the pitchers are bad, though: it’s more of a compliment to their stable of productive hitters.
The group of catchers is extremely talented and has a bit of everything: a powerful home run hitter in Salvador Perez, a framing master in Omar Narvaez, and veteran leadership in Robinson Chirinos.
Cabrera may be past his prime but will be motivated by participating in his last WBC.
Several marquee infielders will be there for Venezuela, starting with 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve.
2022 batting champion Luis Arraez, Eugenio Suarez, Gleyber Torres, Eduardo Escobar, and breakout star Andres Gimenez are rock-solid options for the diamond.
In the outfield, Venezuela will have Baltimore Orioles slugger Anthony Santander, David Peralta, and superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.
Martin Perez, Pablo Lopez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ranger Suarez, Jhoulys Chacin, Jesus Luzardo, and German Marquez will lead the rotation while Jose Alvarado will be their best reliever.
They have what it takes to make it into the latter rounds and once there, fight for the top spot.
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